Albania: Parliament elects bodies to vet judges, prosecutors

TIRANA, Albania – The Albanian parliament has voted upon members of the vetting bodies that will check the personal and professional backgrounds of judges and prosecutors, a key to judicial reforms needed to convince the European Union to launch membership negotiations.

In a brief extraordinary session Saturday, the parliament elected 27 members of the vetting commissions.

That means the launch of the legal reforms that will restructure Albania's flawed justice system to ensure that judges and prosecutors are independent from politics, and to root out bribery. Judicial corruption has plagued post-communist Albania, hampering its democratic practices.

Albania was granted EU candidate status in 2014 and hopes to launch negotiations this year.

The parliament has been dissolved since May as the country holds general election on June 25.